Tossing home textiles into the trash is now a no-no in Massachusetts

Category: HOME TEXTILES

Country: United States

Regulation designed to encourage the recycling of textiles and mattresses

Home Textiles Today Staff November 1, 2022

Boston – Several categories of home textiles are now on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s list of items that can no longer be disposed of in the state.

Beginning Nov. 1, 2022, the list includes:
-Bedding
-Towels
-Curtains
-Clothing
-Footwear
-Fabrics
-Mattresses

Some categories are excluded from the ban, including:
-Mattress pads and toppers
-Pillows
-Sleeping bags
-Waterbeds
-Air mattresses
-Mattresses from futons and sofa beds

The ban also does not apply to textiles that are contaminated with mold, bodily fluids, insects, oil or hazardous substances, according to a report from WNBC Boston.

“Recovering textiles is an excellent opportunity for our cities and towns to reduce trash disposal from their residents at the same time as they get paid for the valuable textiles that they recover,” said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. “We are pleased to partner with this burgeoning industry to remove these valuable materials from the waste stream and put them back to work.”

To encourage recycling of end-of-life textiles and mattresses, the state is has posted a guide of organizations and businesses that accept used textiles. In addition, MassDEP is offering Recycling & Reuse Business Development Grants to subsidize private sector efforts to expand collection of materials banned from disposal or transport for disposal in the state.

Courtesy: https://hfd.bridgetowermedia.com/acton/ct/41765/s-23d0-2211/Bct/q-005e/l-0019:91ab0/ct9_1/1/lu?sid=TV2%3ApMDMSX8lx